Sucker-rod elevator



April 21, 1931. 7 H. K. PENNY SUCKER ROD ELEVATOR Filed March 21, 1930 2Sheets-Sheet l Jwuml oz flare/d 14 Pen/2y April 21, 1931. H. K. PENNYSUCKER ROD ELEVATOR Filed March 21, 1930 2 Sheets-Shee t 2 M W Z v WQDL2.. w I f 6 W 9 an I y 2 m Patented Apr. 21, 1931 teeters UNITEDSTATE'S'PATENT OFFICE.

HAROLD K. PENNY, OE DALLAS, TEXAS STICKER-ROD ELEVATOR Application filedMarch 21, 1 930 Serial No. 437,758.

sizes may be swung into operative position by a simple adjustment, ofsaid members.

A further object ofv the invention is to provide an elevatorhaving'rotatablemembers provided with rod notches and cor-acting to forma gate for holding the rod in the elevator and for automaticallypositioning themselves when the rod is. withdrawn,

Still another object of the invention is to provide resilient lockingand retaining means for positive engagement with the rotatable rodmembers for retaining them in receiving position and for locking them'inclosed position when embracing a rod. 7

An important object of the invention is to produce a sucker rod elevatorwhich .Wlll

'- notonly be safe and positive in its operation but which will besimple in its construction and convenient and easy to handle andoperate.

A construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafterdescribedtogether with other features of the invention.

The invention willbe morereadily understood from a reading of the:following specification andby reference to. the accompanyv 4, ingdrawings in which an example of the invention is shown, and wherein: 1

Figure 1 is a view of an elevator constructed in accordance with theinvention, a por tion being shown in section and a portion in frontelevation.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the same, a portion of the cover plate beingomitted and the eyes of the bail being in section,

Figure 3 is a side iew partly in elevation and partly in section,

Figure 4 is an elevation of the locking lever,

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of a modified form of lock,

Figure 6 is a plan View of the latch,

Figure 7 is a plan view of another form of rotatable rod engagingmembers In the drawings the numeral 10 designates the body of theelevator which has a general elliptical shape as showmsuch shape howeverbeing: subject to variation. At each side the body has built upoutwardly extending lugs or bosses 11 which form trunnions. Eachtrunnionhas a concaved groove 12 in its underside and a depending bill13 below said groove. p

I provide a U-shapedyoke or bail ll having eyes 15 at its lower end andan upwardly extending notch 16 in each eye. In order to at tach the bailto the 'body said bail must be positioned with its eyes uppermost so:that

the recesses 16'are extended downwardly and then by springing'the eyesover the lugs 11 the bills are passed through the recesses. When thebail is swung upwardly the bills willoverhang the rounded bottoms of,the eyes and thus retain said eyeson the trunnionsagainst displacementtherefrom. This assures an adequate connection without the use of nuts,pins or other fastenings.

The front of the body is provided with jaws 17 which are curvedoutwardly on each side of a throat 18 extending inwardly into the body.Thebody is formed with a recess or sump. On the diainetrical axis of thebody, which is also the axis of the trunnions, I provide screw threadedapertures 20 in the bottom of said recess and on each side of the throatI8. Studs 21 are screwed into the aperv tures and each stud has anannular collar 22 resting onthe bottom of the recess when the stud isscrewed into place. The collars form center bearings for rotatablerod-engaging disks 23 mounted in the recess. The disks are confined by acover plate 24 having apertures 25 for receiving the reduced pins 26 ofthe studs 21. These pins are screw threaded and nuts'27 mounted thereonfasten the'plate on a shoulder 19 in the recess 19 and on the collars 22whereby the parts are securely held together.

The disks 23 have a thickness slightly less than the depth of the recess19 and are circular in shape so to freely rotate in said recess aboutsaid collars. The cover plate has a slot 18' conforming to the throat 18but its side walls are bevelled so as to receive the flared shoulder ofthe sucker rod collar. The cover plate conforms to the general shape ofthe recess 19 and by removing said plate access is easily had to allelements contained within the said recess.

The disks 23 are shown with peripheral notches or seats A, B and C-respectively, each made on a successively increasing radius. When thedisks are adjusted to bring the coacting seats AA together. an openingfor receiving the smallest size of rod will be provided and assucceeding seats are brought together larger sizes of rods may bereceived up to the limit of the seats C. The seats are given an upwardbevel so as to better support the collars or heads of the sucker rods.

In order to lock the disks in rod-retaining position as is shown in Fig.2 each disk has a plurality of notches A, B and C. A sliding dog orblock 28 is mounted between guide bosses 29 in the rear of the recess 19and its front portion is right-angular in plan so as to engage in saidnotches. It will be seen that when any pair of seats are brought intorodretaining position their correlated notches will be opposite andsubstantially concentric to the front of the dog 28 which is urgedthereinto by a bow spring 30. The bow spring is confined in the rear ofthe recess 19 and enga es the rear of the dog. i

n Fig. 2 the dog 28 is shown in engagement with the notches B wherebythe seats B are locked in position to contain a rod, (not shown) and thedisks held against rotation. Before the disks can be rotated or the rodwithdrawn from the elevator the dog 28 must be displaced from thenotches. For actuating the dog I provide a small finger lever 31journaled in a socket 32 in the cover plate 24. and having a finger 33engaging in a sump 3-1 in the do 28. By pushing the upper end of thislever orward the dog is retracted and slid back under the tension of thespring whereby the disks are unlocked. I provide an auxiliary sump 35 inthe dog so that it may be reversed when worn.

When the dog is retracted and the disks unlocked the rod (not shown) maybe removed from the elevator either by pulling said elevator bodyrearwardly or by pulling said rod iorwardly. In either case the disksare rotated away from each other andv until the forward edges of theseats are spread sufficiently to provide a gap wide enough to permit therod to pass through. \Vhen the lever 31 is re leased the spring 30 willbring the front cor ners of the dog 28 into frictional engagement withthe peripheries of the disks thus constituting a spring impelledretaining means for holding the disks in position. When a rod isinserted in the throat 18 and engaged in the seats of the disks and thedisks then rotated toward each other by the continued inward movement ofthe rod, it is obvious that the dog 28 will automatically ride into thenotches when the rod is brought into locking position; however, the rearend of the throat would form a stop for this purpose.

In Fig. 5 I have illustrated another form of lock. The guides 29 may bemade to receive this lock and in such case are provided with concavedrecesses 36 in which the trunnions of a latch 37 are journaled. AU-shaped leaf spring 38 is mounted under the latch and said latch has adownwardly bent tip 39 for engaging in the notches as for instance A ofeach disk. When the latch is depressed surface of the disk when thelatter is rotated, thus retaining said disk in position. plunger 40mounted in a boss 41 on the cover plate 24 has a rounded finger 42 atitsv lower end seated in therear end of the latch and by depressing theplunger the latch is rocked to release the disk. 7

Instead of employing circular disks and particularly where only rods oftwo sizes are handled uadrants 23 may be substituted for said isks asshown in Fig. 7. These quadrants may be equipped with the seats A and Band their corresponding notches A and B.

While I have shown two forms of spring locking and retaining means it iswithin the scope of'the invention to provide other means for the samepurpose. However by having the operating elements of the locking meansat the rear of the elevator body a much more convenient and safearrangement is provided for the lock. It is also advantageous to havethe lock operating means within the margin of the elevator body so thatwhenthe elevator is swung against an obstruction the body will sustainthe blow and not the operating means. Further the locking; means may beeasily operated with the thumb or finger and the Workman may quicklyrelease his grip on the body which he could not do if his hand wasinserted in a yoke or handle. The rotating rod receiving members notonly form gates for holding the rod in position but make for a saving oftime and ease of operation as well as providing an adequate means ofsecurely holding and supporting the rod and precluding unintentionaldropping of the same.

Various changes in the size and shape of the ditterent parts, as well asmodifications and alterations, may be made within the scope of theappended claims.

WVhat I claim, is:

1. In a sucker rod elevator, a body having .85 its tip will be elevatedand ride upon the top a rod receiving opening, rotatable members mountedon the body of each side of said opening and having rod-receiving seatsfor coacting to embrace and retain a rod, each member having seats ofdifferent radius for receiving rods of different diameters, and a bailfor supporting said body.

2. A sucker rod elevator as setfo1'tl1 in claim 1 having means forlocking the rotatable members in rod retaining position.

3. A sucker rod elevator as set forth in claim 1 having means forlocking the rotatable members in rod retaining position and also forholding them in rod receiving position.

4. In a sucker rod elevator, a bail, a body supported by the bail andhaving a rod receiving opening, rod engaging members pivoted on oppositesides of the opening on said body and each having a rod receiving seat,locking means for engaging said members, and means for operating saidlocking means located entirely within the margin of said body.

5. In a sucker rod elevator, a bail, a body supported by the bail andhaving a rod receiving opening, rod engaging members pivoted on oppositesides of the opening on said body and each having a rod receiving seat,each member having a notch, a sliding dog for engaging said notches, aspring for urging said dog into the notches, and meansfor slidin thedog. i

6. X sucker rod elevator as set forth in claim 4 in which .eachrod-engaging member has a plurality of rod seats of different radii forreceiving rods of different diameters when brought into co actingrelation.

7. A sucker rod elevator as set forth in claim 5 in which eachrod-engaging member has a plurality of rod seats of different radii forreceiving rods of different diameters and also has a locking notch foreach seat.

8. In a sucker rod elevator, a bail, a body suspended by the bail andhaving a recess with a rod-receiving opening extending from said recess,rotatable disks mounted in said recess and having rod seats on each sideof the opening of the body, a cover plate on said body over said recessand disks, and means for locking said disks in position.

9. A sucker rod elevator as set forth in claim 8 in which each disk hasa plurality of rod seats of different radii for receiving rods ofdifferent diameters, when the co-acting seats of the disks are broughtinto rod receiving relations. 7

10. In a sucker rod elevator, a bail, a body suspended by the bail andhaving a recess with a rod receiving opening extending from said recess,a pair of rotatable disks journaled in said recess on opposite sides ofthe opening of the body, each disk having a plurality of rod seats ofdifierentradii and also having a locking notch for each seat, the

notches being spaced from the seats so that when theseat of one disk isregistered with the seat of the other disk the corresponding notcheswill be opposite each other, and a spring actuated dog engaging saidnotches.

11. In a sucker rod elevator, a bail, a body suspended bythe bail andhaving a recess with a rod receiving opening extending from saidrecess,a pair of rotatable disks journaled in said recess on opposite sides ofthe opening of the body, each disk having a plurality of rod seats ofdifferent radii and also having a locking notch for each seat, thenotches being spaced from the seats so that when the seat of one disk isregistered with the seat of the other disk the corresponding notcheswill be opposite each other, a sliding dog mounted in the recess of thebody and having angular corners for engaging in the notches of thedisks, a spring mounted in the body and engaging the dog, a cover platemounted on the body over the disks and dog, and an operating leverengaging the dog and extending through the plate.

12; In a sucker rod elevator, an elliptical body and trunnions at itsend and provided with a recess, a bail in which the trunnions of thebody are journaled. The body having a rod receiving throat extendingoutwardly from the recess at one side of the body, curved jaws on thebody at the entrance to the throat,studs mounted in the recess of thebody, disks rotatably mounted on the studs and overhanging the throat ofsaid disks, having a plurality of rod seats and locking notches, aspring pressed dog slide ably mounted in the recess of the body forengaging the notches of the disks, a cover iso

